Research Scholars

USALI’s team of accomplished and experienced research fellows have expertise in the legal systems of China, Taiwan and the United States. Scholars conduct research for the Institute’s ongoing projects as well as their own, on topics such as corruption, criminal procedure, labor law, property rights, and anti-discrimination-related efforts in East Asia.

Ling LiSenior Research Scholar

Dr. Ling LI joined the US-Asia Law Institute of New York University School of Law as a senior research fellow in 2010 after obtaining her doctoral degree from the Leiden University (Van Vollenhoven Institute) in the Netherlands. See full bio...

Ling Li

Dr. Ling LI joined the US-Asia Law Institute of New York University School of Law as a senior research fellow in 2010 after having obtained her doctoral degree from the Leiden University (Van Vollenhoven Institute) in the Netherlands. She also holds a position as an associate professor at the Northwest University of Political Science and Law in China. She has done extensive research on corruption in China and has published "The production of corruption in China’s courts – Judicial decision-making in a one-Party state," Law and Social Inquiry, Vol. 37, 2012; "Performing’ bribery in China - Guanxi-practice, corruption with a human face," Journal of Contemporary China Vol. 20, No. 68 (2011); and “Corruption in China's Courts," in Judicial Independence in China: Lessons for global rule of law promotion, ed. Randall Peerenboom, Cambridge University Press, 2010. Her current research focuses on the Chinese Communist Party as an institution, Chinese contemporary politics, corruption and anti-corruption in China and Chinese law. Her most recent work can be found at https://nyu.academia.edu/LingLi and SSRN.

Myung-Soo LeeSenior Research Scholar

Myung-Soo Lee was born in Seoul, Korea and holds a Master’s Degree (LL.M) and Doctoral Degree (S.J.D.) from Harvard Law School in public international law and conflict resolution. Her current research interests include legal issues concerning North Korea’s economic development and engagement with the international community, public international law issues related to the establishment of rule of law and the advancement of human rights, and comparative legal analysis involving East Asian countries. See full bio...

Myung-Soo Lee

Myung-Soo Lee was born in Seoul, Korea and holds a Master’s Degree (LL.M) and Doctoral Degree (S.J.D.) from Harvard Law School in public international law and conflict resolution. Her current research interests include legal issues concerning North Korea’s economic development and engagement with the international community, public international law issues related to the establishment of rule of law and the advancement of human rights, and comparative legal analysis involving East Asian countries. Ms. Lee has held many prestigious positions over the course of her career. She was a McArthur Scholar and Research Fellow at the Program on Non-Violent Sanctions at the Center for International Affairs at Harvard University and collaborated with the Harvard Negotiation Project/Conflict Management Group. She later worked as Director of Research of East Asian Legal Studies at Harvard Law School and subsequently as a Research Fellow at New York University School of Law. Her articles include “The Legal Status of Submerged Rock: Parang Island of ROK and Zhongsha Islands of PRC,” “The Role and Dynamics of Nongovernmental Actors in Contemporary Korea,” “Living Together on the Korean Peninsula: Legal Problems and Approach Facing a Divided Nation,” and “North Korea and International Law: Theory and Practice in Post-Cold War Era.” Ms. Lee received her Bachelor’s Degree in Law and Master’s Degree in International Law from Korea University.

Yu-Jie ChenResearch Scholar

Yu-Jie Chen is a Taiwanese lawyer and J.S.D. candidate at New York University School of Law. She received her LL.M. in international legal studies from NYU in 2008 and was awarded the Robert L. Bernstein Fellowship in International Human Rights. See full bio...

Yu-Jie Chen

Yu-Jie Chen is a Taiwanese lawyer and J.S.D. candidate at New York University School of Law. She received her LL.M. in international legal studies from NYU in 2008 and was awarded the Robert L. Bernstein Fellowship in International Human Rights. She served as a researcher and advocate for a non-governmental organization, Human Rights in China, before joining the U.S.-Asia Law Institute as a Research Scholar. She has practiced in the Taipei-based international law firm Lee and Li.
At the U.S.-Asia Law Institute, Ms. Chen’s research focuses on international human rights, legal institutions, and criminal justice in Taiwan and China. She has greatly expanded the Institute’s Taiwan focus, promoting Taiwan’s legal reforms as a comparative model for China. She has also developed USALI cooperation with Taiwan organizations, including National Taiwan University, the Legal Aid Foundation, and the Taipei Lawyers’ Association. In the fall of 2011, she joined the NYU School of Law as a J.S.D. candidate but has continued to engage in USALI’s research as a part-time Research Scholar. She has published in both news outlets and scholarly journals. Her publications include “One Problem, Two Paths: A Taiwanese Perspective on the Exclusionary Rule in China,” N.Y.U. Journal of International Law & Politics, Volume 43, No. 3, (2011) and “Lawyers’ Activism and the Expansion of the Right to Counsel in Taiwan,” Comparative Perspectives on Criminal Justice in China, edited by Mike McConville and Eva Pils (2013). To follow her on academia.edu, please click here

Aaron HaleguaResearch Scholar

Aaron Halegua is an expert in employment law, dispute resolution, and legal aid in the United States and China. See full bio...

Aaron Halegua

Aaron Halegua is an expert in employment law, dispute resolution, and legal aid in the United States and China. His academic work on China has been published in the Berkeley Journal of International Law (2008), Harvard Law & Policy Review (2007) and Hong Kong Law Journal (2005), and he has been quoted in publications such as the New York Times. In addition, Aaron has helped to direct and consult on rule of law programs for the International Labor Rights Forum, Asia Foundation and American Bar Association. In the United States, Aaron was a Skadden Fellow and Staff Attorney in the Employment Law Unit of the Legal Aid Society for over three years, where he represented Chinese and other immigrants in a variety of employment-related disputes. Aaron also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Richard J. Sullivan of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Prior to law school, Aaron lived in Beijing, China for two years: the first year was spent as a Fulbright Scholar at Peking University Law School, and the second as a Research Associate with Yale Law School’s China Law Center. He holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School and an A.B. in International Relations from Brown University. He is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.

Chaoyi JiangResearch Scholar

Jacqueline Chaoyi Jiang received her LL.B and Master of International Law from Tsinghua University School of Law and her LL.M with a specialization in International Legal Studies from the NYU School of Law in 2013. See full bio...

Chaoyi Jiang

Jacqueline Chaoyi Jiang joined the Institute as a Research Scholar in 2013. She received her LL.B and Master of International Law from Tsinghua University School of Law and her LL.M with a specialization in International Legal Studies from the NYU School of Law in 2013. She has participated in the 2010 International Criminal Court Trial Competition (Global round) and 2012 ELSA WTO Law Moot Competition (Asia-Pacific Round), and served as the leading coach of Tsinghua Team for the 2011 ICCTC. While at school, Chaoyi worked as research and teaching assistant in the following issues: Universal Periodic Review Mechanism of the UN Human Rights Council, the South China Sea Disputes, International Humanitarian Law and Global Governance issues concerning Intra-Institution Relations under the AML/CFL framework and Overloaded Obligations of Fragile and Failed States. Her paper "Criteria of Effective Occupation: an Analysis of the Latest Judgments of the International Court of Justice" was published in Chinese Yearbook of International Law (2012 Volume) and "Interpretation and Application of the Chapeau of GATT Article XX: Precedents Study and the Justification of Carbon-related Border Adjustment Measures" was published in WTO Law and China Forum (2012 Volume). Her paper "Identification of the Number of Crimes Involving Offenses Against Currency" was published in Researches on Disputed Criminal Cases (First Volume) in 2009.

Chao LiuResearch Scholar

Chao Liu received her LL.M. degree from NYU School of Law in 2010. See full bio...

Chao Liu

Chao Liu received her LL.M. degree from NYU School of Law in 2010. Prior to joining the Institute as a Research Scholar in 2011, she worked for one year as a legal intern in the Enforcement Division of the Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C. Ms. Liu assisted in investigations involving mortgage-backed securities, collateralized debt obligations, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations, and accounting fraud. Ms. Liu has four years of working experience in China. Previously, she worked for two years as a legal assistant in a prominent Shanghai law firm specializing in cross-border mergers and acquisitions. Prior to joining the law firm, she was a business consultant at the Council of Great Lakes Governor's Office in Shanghai. Ms. Liu received her LL.B. degree from Shanghai University School of Law, graduating in the top 1% of her class. Her writing has appeared in Law360.

Chi YinResearch Scholar

Chi Yin joined the Institute in 2013, and is currently focusing on China's recently revised Criminal Procedure Law. Ms. Yin previously served as a judge in the Intermediate Court of the greater Chengdu Municipality. See full bio...

Chi Yin

Chi Yin joined the Institute in 2013, and is currently focusing on China's recently revised Criminal Procedure Law. Ms. Yin previously served as a judge in the Intermediate Court of the greater Chengdu Municipality. The cases she tried included both appellate and first-instance criminal trials of white-collar, drug trafficking and violent crimes. Other work in the court included managing projects related to internal court reform, and editing an internal law review. She left the court in 2008 and moved to the U.S., where she pursued public interest law, volunteering with Colorado Legal Services and then interning with China Labor Watch. She received an LLM from NYU in 2013. She received her LL.B and Master’s of Law from Sichuan University, and has been a member of the Chinese bar since 2004.